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Ramayana
''Ramayana ''(Sanskrit, "Romance of Rama") is a Hindu epic composed by the Indian poet Valmiki entirely in Sanskrit. The Ramayana ''is believed to have been completed in around 300 BCE and in its present form, consists of 24,000 couplets divided into seven books. The epic describes the birth of Prince Rama in the Indian kingdom of Ayodhya, his tutelage under the sage Vishvamitra, and his success of bending Shiva's bow and in return winning the heart of Princess Sita. The ''Ramayana ''tells the story of Rama, his brother Lakshman and his wife, Sita who are sentenced to a fourteen-year exile in the forest. During this time, Sita is captured by the demon king Ravana and Rama, with the help of Lakshman and Hanuman, rescue Sita and defeat Ravana. Characters *'Rama' is the protagonist of the ''Ramayana. Portrayed as the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, he is the eldest son of King Dasharatha, the king of Ayodhya and his Queen, Kausalya. He is portrayed as the epitome of virtue. In the story, King Dasharatha is forced by one of his wives, Kaikeyi, to sentence Rama, his brother Lakshman and his wife Sita into a fourteen-year exile in the forest. *'Sita', the other protagonist, is the daughter of King Janaka. Rama wins Sita's hand in marriage by bending Shiva's mighty bow. She represents wifely devotion and self-surrender. Sita is the avatara of the goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu. She follows her husband and brother-in-law into exile and is abducted by the demong king Ravana. She is imprisoned on the island of Lanka, until Rama rescues her with the help of his devotee, Hanuman. Sita kept chaste during her long imprisonment by concentrating her heart on Rama. After her rescue, she proved herself pure by voulentarily walking through a fire and coming out the other side unharmed. Rama, who did not believe Sita's purity, banished her into the forest, where she gives birth to their sons Kusha and Lava. Once Kusha and Lava reach maturity, they present themselves to Rama, who acknowledges them as his sons. Sita then calls upon her mother, Earth, to swallow her up. *'Hanuman' is a vanara belonging to the kingdom Kishkindha. In some versions of the Ramayana ''(other than Valmiki's), he is portrayed as the eleventh incarnation of Shiva and an ideal ''bhakta ''of Rama. He is the son of Kesari, a Vanara king and the goddess Anjana. Hanuman plays an important role in locating Sita and ensuing a battle. He is believed to live until our modern world. *'Lakshman is the brother of Rama who accompanies he and Sita in exile. Lakshmana is believed to be an avatar of the Shesha, a naga associated with the god Vishnu. He spent his time protecting Sita and Rama and battles the demoness Surpanakha. Sita is deceived into believing that Rama was in trouble and is captured by the demon Ravana. He is married to Sita's younger sister, Urmila. *Ravana '''is the demon king responsible for the abduction of Sita. He resides on the island of Lanka.